


Priorities

by axiumin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-neutral Reader, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, POV Second Person, Reaction, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 18:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17586353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axiumin/pseuds/axiumin
Summary: You take care of everyone but yourself.





	1. Xiumin

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an anonymous request: "Exo reaction to you taking care of everyone else but yourself?"
> 
> Cross-posted from tumblr. Come say hi @axiumin!

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Honestly, you hadn’t intended to let things go this far, but you supposed that was the curse of your helpful nature.

It started simply, with you offering to cover some work for your friend when she got sick, and it somehow snowballed into a continuous stream of meetings and errands and lost sleep until you finally ended up where you were now: lying prone on your couch with the cold of a lifetime, unable to help anybody, least of all yourself.

This is where Minseok found you, cocooned in blankets and shrouded in self-pity.

“Yah, Y/N,” sighed Minseok.

He had that concerned crease between his eyes, and you could only pout because you knew you were the one who put it there. You poked a hand out of your cocoon and reached out to try to rub away the little crease. Minseok just sighed again and caught your hand, pressing his lips against your knuckles.

“You know you need to take better care of yourself, Y/N.” It was a reprimand, albeit a soft one. It was your turn to sigh.

“I know, Minseok.” You looked down, feeling your frustration well up.

There was nothing worse than feeling helpless, especially when you always tried so hard to help others around you. You knew Minseok was right, though. You had ended up in this situation because you stopped taking care of yourself in your attempt to care of your friends, and now you couldn’t do anything but lie around and watch reruns of the Great British Bake Off.

Not that that was a particularly bad way to spend the afternoon, but it would admittedly be a whole lot more enjoyable if you could breathe through your nose.

Minseok saw your frown and made a small noise of protest. He carefully lowered himself to the couch and opened his arms. You wiggled over to accept his invitation, blanket burrito and all.

“Don’t be upset, Y/N. You’ve tried hard to take care of other people. Let me take care of you now.”

His familiar embrace warmed you more than your blankets, and the fingers gently running through your hair did more to soothe your pounding headache than your cold medicine ever could. You supposed it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to let yourself rest, if only because he asked.


	2. Suho

You shifted your weight from foot to foot, careful not to jostle your stack of take-out containers as you waited for the elevator to deliver you to your destination. Exhaustion tugged at your eyelids and made you blink hazily in the bright fluorescent lights, but you forced yourself to push past it. If you were tired, you could only imagine how exhausted Junmyeon and your friends would be.

It had been a hectic week of practice and rehearsal for EXO, and you knew the long hours were beginning to take their toll. Junmyeon returned home later and later— if he even returned home at all— and you could see even through text chats just how bedraggled everyone seemed to be. Really, it was the least you could do to make sure your boys were eating properly, even if it meant hand delivering food to their practice room this late at night.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, you could hear the thumping of the bass that led you straight to the practice room. You hesitated outside the door, peeking in through the window. You had only intended to try to make sure you wouldn’t interrupt them in the middle of dancing, but when you saw them moving in synchrony, you felt rooted to the spot, your heart swelling with pride and admiration. It wasn’t until the song ended and Chanyeol caught sight of you that you were able to move again.

You were ushered into the practice room with a chorus of ‘Y/N!’s and cheers when the boys saw the take-out containers.

“I thought you might be hungry,” you chuckled as you were quickly relieved of your burden. Within moments, the containers were being passed around and torn into. “I guess I was right.”

Baekhyun’s “You’re an angel!” was almost drowned out by Jongin’s delighted “Is that chicken?”, and you were quite content to observe the payoff of your food delivery. But a quick headcount showed that there was one missing from the frenzy, and it didn’t take you long to figure out who it was.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.” Junmyeon’s voice was soft yet concerned.

You turned and smiled when he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead in proper greeting. You could afford this small moment of intimacy; your potential audience would be far too distracted by food to notice you for a few minutes.

“I thought about it, but I also couldn’t help but worry. I know how hard you’d been working, and I figured it was very possible you’d forget to eat. Besides,” you added, voice gentle, “I missed you.”

Junmyeon’s gaze softened, a small, sad frown tugging at the corners of his lips. 

“I’ve missed you too, love.” He brought a hand up to cup your cheek, the pad of his thumb delicately tracing under your eye. “You look tired.”

You sighed and brought a hand up to hold onto his. “So do you,” you said, huffing out a quiet laugh. “What a pair we make.”

Junmyeon shook his head. “I’d say I regretted that our crazy schedule made you neglect your own rest to come bring us food, but I’m too selfish. I’m glad you came. But I promise, as soon as we’re done here, we’re going to get some well-deserved rest— together.”

You squeezed his hand.

“Sounds like a plan.”


	3. Lay

“I don’t know how you do it, Yixing,” you groaned as you collapsed onto the sofa.

Another long day at work, another tension headache throbbing behind your eyes. You cared deeply about the work you did, and you always tried to put your all into whatever you did, but you could feel the strain taking its toll. Too many missed breaks and lunches through the week left you tired and cranky, and with the constant influx of new work, you felt like all of your attention and energy went into juggling projects deadlines. Hell, you even dreamed about work during the few hours of sleep you snatched at night.

Yixing poked his head into the living room, frowning when he saw you pinching the bridge of your nose.

“How I do what?” he asked, shuffling over to sit on the couch. You immediately slumped over, resting your head on his lap. He smiled softly and began carding his fingers through your hair.

“You just work so hard all the time, but you’re always able to manage,” you sighed, closing your eyes and relaxing into his touch. “I just have one busy week at work, and I feel like I’m going to fall apart from all the stress. I have so many people relying on me, but I’m so useless!”

Yixing’s fingers froze in place before moving down to cup your cheek.

“Y/N,” he said seriously. You opened your eyes to see him peering down at you, brow furrowed. “Please don’t ever say you’re useless. You know that’s not true at all, don’t you?”

You fidgeted and averted your eyes, heaving another sigh.

“I guess,” you mumbled. “It just feels that way because there’s no way I can keep working under all of this pressure, and I feel weak because I see people like you, who are able to do so much more than I do and still be so happy.”

Yixing hummed thoughtfully. “But it’s not the same thing. I was able to work so hard because I was working for myself. Everything I did was for my personal growth and so that I could grow as an artist. The pressure I felt was just the pressure I put on myself.” The pad of his thumb absentmindedly caressed your cheek. “But you’re working for other people, Y/N. You’re trying your best to make things better for your coworkers and the people you help with your work. The pressure on you is because of your need to help others.”

As he spoke, you reflected on the truth in his words. You supposed it wasn’t a fair comparison, really, but this realization got you no closer to figuring out how to cope with the stress from work. You told Yixing this, and he just smiled and affectionately tapped your nose.

“Easy. Start working for yourself, Y/N. I admire your desire to help others, but it’s important to take care of yourself first and foremost. The others will be able to take care of themselves, too.”

You frowned. “That’s easier said than done, Yixing.”

He leaned down to press a light kiss to your forehead.

“Yes, but I know you can do it, Y/N. You’re far more capable than you give yourself credit for.”


	4. Baekhyun

The mattress dipped beside you, stirring you from your slumber. You cracked an eye open and let out a soft groan at the bright sunlight. When you turned your head to see Baekhyun propped up on an elbow and smiling down at you, you groaned again despite the smile tugging at your lips.

Baekhyun chuckled.

“Good morning, Y/N,” he cooed, planting a sweet kiss on your forehead.

“What time is it?” you mumbled.

“Time for you to get up. We have a busy day ahead of us!”

You frowned and sat up. You were almost positive you hadn’t forgotten any important dates.

“What’s the occasion?” you asked.

Baekhyun shrugged. “Do I need one? Get up!”

It took you a great deal of effort to finally get up and get ready, but Baekhyun certainly made it worth your while.

The first order of the day, naturally, was breakfast. The cafe Baekhyun took you to was a tried and true favorite, a lovely little affair with delicious pastries and friendly staff, yet unassuming enough that the atmosphere always felt perfectly intimate, no matter what time of day you dropped by.

You sighed as you cupped your warm mug of coffee in your hands, feeling the tension in your shoulders ease for the first time in forever. Across the table, Baekhyun watched you and smiled, slow and sweet.

“Are you enjoying your coffee, then?” he asked, voice just a bit too soft to be properly teasing.

You removed one hand from your mug to rest it on the table between you and Baekhyun, a clear invitation. He rested his hand in yours, and you smiled when your fingers tangled together. Your smile only widened when he brought your hand up to brush a kiss against your knuckles.

“It’s always perfect here,” you said, unsure if you were referring to the coffee or just being with Baekhyun in general. Both, probably. “And they really do have the best drinks,” you mused.

Baekhyun hummed in agreement and drank deeply from his coffee. When he pulled back, his face was decorated with a rather impressive foam mustache. You snorted, and Baekhyun looked innocently back at you.

“What? Is there something on my face, Y/N?” he asked, wrinkling his nose and making the foam mustache jiggle just a bit.

You tossed your head back and laughed, hearty and happy. You heard a sharp intake of breath and saw Baekhyun watching you with his face so full of love that you felt your own breath catch in your throat.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" you asked, slightly breathless.

Baekhyun propped his chin on a hand and smiled dreamily at you.

"I missed seeing the stars in your eyes," he murmured.

You felt your cheeks warm. "Baekhyun..."

His face turned serious and he squeezed your hand, looking intently into your face.

"I know that you always put others before yourself. Your big heart is one of the reasons I fell for you in the first place, after all. But it breaks my heart when you wear yourself down in the process. I just want to see you happy, Y/N. You deserve that."

You smiled softly at him, feeling your chest swell with all of the love you felt for him. You reached across the table to gently brush the residual foam away from the corner of his mouth.

"I am happy, Baekhyun. You make sure of that. You make sure that I always know that no matter what I do or how worn out I am, you'll be here to hold me up."


	5. Chen

The soft, strained notes of your voice filtered into the bedroom. Jongdae sat up and squinted at the clock on the bedside table: 1:32am. The blankets beside him were undisturbed; you hadn’t been to bed yet. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and followed the sound of your voice to the living room.

“I know, and I wish there was something more I could do for you. I just hope that things settle for you soon so you can find some peace,” you murmured into your phone. On the other side of the line, your friend sighed.

“Thanks, Y/N. And I know it’s not fair for me to lay all of this on you, especially so late. But I just feel so frustrated, and I don’t know what to do.”

You sighed and squeezed your eyes against the burn of exhaustion. “It’s okay. I understand how you feel. But why don’t we try to get some sleep while we can tonight? You’re going to need the rest more than any of us.”

After a few more moments of murmured goodbyes, you finally hung up, letting your head drop into your hands.

“Again? That’s the third night this week,” Jongdae said softly.

You raised your head to see Jongdae standing in the entryway of the living room, face creased with concern.

“I know,” you mumbled, running a hand over your face. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep waking you up like this.”

Jongdae sighed and shook his head, finally coming to sit next to you on the couch. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and you melted into his touch, comforted by his presence and the sleep-warmth of his body.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, voice still soft. When you reached up to rub at your eyes again, Jongdae caught your hand in his and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “You’re the one who needs sleep, Y/N.”

You shook your head and made a noise of protest.

“I can sleep another time. I can’t just let her go through this alone.”

You felt more than heard Jongdae’s sigh.

“You’re a good friend, Y/N. You’re always ready to make sacrifices for others. I just don’t want you to forget to take care of yourself in the process.” Before you could protest, he added, “Please. For my sake, if nothing else.”

Jongdae’s hold on you tightened, and you nestled further into his side.

“Okay, Dae. I’ll try, if only because you asked nicely and I’m too tired to argue.”

Jongdae chuckled. “Then let’s go to bed, Y/N. Everything else can wait until the morning.”


	6. Chanyeol

It was growing increasingly difficult to focus on the pages of your book when your mind kept wandering back to all of the things you needed to do. You worried your lip and glanced over at Chanyeol, who was frowning in concentration at his laptop.

See, it’s not that you explicitly _had_ to plan the meeting notes or bake snacks or do anything other than actually be at the book club meeting this evening. It’s just that ever since you and your friend started this book club a few months ago, it just felt wrong not to go above and beyond to make it perfect.

At first, it had been a great outlet for you to release some pent up energy and practice some baking skills. Yet with recent pressures from your work and personal life, you were beginning to feel exhausted every time you even thought about all of the extra things you had to do for this book club. And even though both your friend and Chanyeol had insisted that it would be perfectly fine for you to just be there, you couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Sighing, you glanced over at Chanyeol again only to find that he was staring back at you, eyebrows raised.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, though you both knew what your answer would be.

“What if I just—” you started, but Chanyeol was already shaking his head and setting his laptop aside.

“Nope. Nuh-uh. No ‘just’s, Y/N,” he chided. His eyes sparked with mischief as he started to crawl over to you on hands and knees. “If you can’t sit here and read your book like a good Y/N, then I’m going to have to take drastic measures.”

A smile was toying at the corners of your mouth by the time Chanyeol was properly hovering over you. His head lowered slightly, and your eyes flicked down to his mouth in anticipation.

“What kind of measures?” you asked.

“Well,” he whispered, smiling slyly, “I’ll just have to make sure you stay right where you are.”

You squawked when Chanyeol lowered his weight on you and trapped you with his long limbs. You went from expecting a makeout session to being wrapped up in a very clingy Chanyeol, and you had to admit you were feeling a but put out even as you laughed.

“Chanyeol!” you cried, wiggling around to no avail. He had your arms pinned to your sides, and there was no way you’d be able to sit up with him sprawled across you like this.

“Y/N,” he sing-songed, grinning beatifically. “Isn’t this so lovely? Just lying around with your boyfriend, without a care in the world? Nothing to do but cuddle?”

You huffed. “Is this what you call cuddling these days?” But there was no heat there, and you soon found yourself relaxing into his hold.

Chanyeol felt you relax and rewarded you with a kiss to the cheek.

“Mhmm. Now just focus on me and you, Y/N. You’ve worked hard, and it’s time for you to enjoy a nice break.”


	7. D.O.

Rain fell from the sky in fat, cold droplets, soaking the city to its bones. For a long time, you stood under the building’s awning, watching the pale grey clouds release their downpour. You weren’t the only one seeking shelter under the awning; a few paces away from you, a mother and her young child huddled together against the cold and the wet.

It had been a long day at work, and you wanted nothing more than to go home and cozy up with some hot cocoa and fuzzy socks, especially considering you would have to walk home in this weather. Yet as you stood outside your work building, you found yourself hesitating, grip tightening on your umbrella. The mother and her child didn’t have anything but coats, and you somehow doubted they’d do much to protect them against this kind of rain.

With a sigh, you realized that you’d already made up your mind. It took no time at all for you to offer your umbrella to the mother, though it felt like it took a small eternity for you to make the walk home in the rain.

Although you only lived a few blocks away from your work building, you were soaked through by the time you finally trudged up the stairs to your apartment. Your hair was plastered to your forehead, and you shivered at the feeling of cold water droplets trailing down your back. The only grace was your waterproof boots that kept your feet blessedly dry.

When you finally managed to get your apartment door open, you were greeted by the relief of warm air and the sight of Kyungsoo lounging on the couch in his pajamas, watching a movie. As soon as the door latched shut behind you, Kyungsoo was turning to greet you with a smile.

The smile turned to alarm when he saw you.

“Y/N!” He was up from the couch and across the room in an instant, fussing over you and relieving you of your heavy, soaked coat. “Did you walk all the way home like this? Why didn’t you take an umbrella with you?”

You huffed but remained pliant as he helped peel the wet layers of clothing away from your chilled skin.

“I did take an umbrella. But there was this woman, and she had a child with her...” You trailed off, knowing he would get the picture.

Kyungsoo cupped your face in his hands, frowning when he felt your cold skin. He was concerned, but there was warmth in his gaze, too.

“You have a good heart, Y/N. I just wish you’d care for yourself as much as you care for others.”

You shrugged. “I do care for myself. It’s just that sometimes people need something I have just a bit more than I do.”

This earned you a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

“Well, speaking of needs, you need to get warmed up. Come on, I’ll run a bath for you.”

As Kyungsoo tugged at your hand and let you to the bathroom, you were already feeling warmed by his care for you.

“Soo,” you called softly. You waited until he turned to face you so you could smirk at him. “Will you be joining me for this bath?”

He smiled even as his cheeks tinged pink. “Of course.”


	8. Kai

It was sort of an agreement between you and your neighbors. When you first moved into your apartment, it was just you living by yourself. Your neighbors, a couple with young children, welcomed you to the apartment complex with open arms and always kept an eye out for you. And in return, you helped them out by watching the kiddos whenever their parents were working late or wanted a rare date night.

Honestly, it was the least you could do for such a kind couple, and it was certainly no hardship for you to spend an evening playing with a couple of precious toddlers. Yet as you shuffled into your apartment after possibly the longest day of work you’d ever had, you couldn’t help but regret agreeing to babysit tonight.

It was all you could do to drag yourself over the couch and collapse on it. You lay there listlessly for a moment before sighing and digging your phone out from your pocket. Maybe a quick facetime with Jongin would make you feel better. He always had a way of making you feel more lively. Yet even as the dial tone cut off and Jongin’s lovely, smiling face appeared on your phone screen, you could feel your eyelids growing heavy.

“You look a bit sleepy today,” he said in way of greeting, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

You hummed, managing a small smile in return. “That’s a bit of an understatement, I think.”

“So does this mean you called to invite me over to cuddle?” Jongin asked with a chuckle.

For a brief moment, you allowed yourself to imagine the comfort of his warm hold after the long, exhausting day you had, and you sighed wistfully.

“I wish,” you said softly. “But I promised to babysit the twins tonight.”

Jongin’s face brightened immediately, and you had a feeling you knew exactly why. He was well aware of your babysitting arrangement with your neighbors, and he shamelessly took advantage of it. It wasn’t at all uncommon for Jongin to come over to your place simply for the opportunity to play with the kids. It was adorable, you easily admitted, but sometimes you swore Jongin was a child, himself.

“The _twins_?” Jongin repeated, visibly excited. “Oh, that won’t be a problem at all. Just sit tight and I’ll be right over, Y/N.”

Before you could protest, Jongin had hung up, and you were left alone on your couch, staring at your resigned expression in the reflection of your phone. You sighed again.

True to his word, Jongin made it to your apartment in record time, greeting you with a peck on the cheek and a warm hand on your waist as he ushered you towards your bedroom.

“Yah, you really do look exhausted, Y/N. I wish you’d let yourself take more breaks when you need them,” he said as he pulled back your blankets and gestured for you to climb in bed. Honestly, his concern would be incredibly sweet if you didn’t know he was largely motivated by the prospect of playtime with the kiddos.

“But I have responsibilities,” you protested weakly. Your resolve grew even weaker still when Jongin brushed the hair out of your face and pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead.

“That’s what I’m here for,” he said with an easy smile. “Now take a nap, and I’ll watch the twins tonight. You don’t have to worry about a thing when I’m around.”

Your heart swelled with affection, and you couldn’t help the almost dreamy smile that tugged at your lips.

“Thanks for saving me tonight, Jongin,” you said softly, catching Jongin’s hand in yours.

Jongin lightly squeezed your hand. “Anytime.”


	9. Sehun

You stared at the rows of cramped handwriting in your planner until the words blurred together. You were struck then by just how _much_ you had to do, and instead of just getting to work on your daily tasks, a cold dread had taken hold of your stomach, its icy tendrils reaching out and freezing you in place.

You were still sitting frozen at your desk when you heard footsteps and Sehun’s voice come from behind you.

“Hey, Y/N. Did you get my text earlier?”

Your movements felt sluggish and forced as you raised your head to look at Sehun. You weren’t sure what kind of expression was on your face, but whatever it was, it made Sehun furrow his brow in concern.

“Y/N?” he called again, stepping forward hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”

You forced yourself to swallow against the tightness of your throat. “Nothing. I just—” You cut yourself off, your eyes drawn back to your planner as if pulled by a magnet.

Sehun stopped behind your shoulder and followed your gaze down to the cramped page of your planner. You heard him sigh, and a moment later, he was crouched next to you, his hand coming to rest lightly on your arm.

“Busy day?” he asked, voice low and even.

You nodded jerkily. “I-I feel a bit overwhelmed, I think,” you admitted, unsure how to describe the icy dread settling in the pit of your stomach.

Sehun just nodded slightly and inclined his head to your planner. “Okay, let’s see what you have.”

“Huh?” you replied eloquently.

“Well, it looks like you have a lot to do today. So why not go through everything and see what can wait until tomorrow?”

You were already shaking your head before he finished speaking. “None of this can wait, Sehun. I’m already making so many people wait for me to—”

“Y/N,” Sehun interrupted, voice firm yet still soft. “I’m sure they don’t mind waiting just a little bit longer. Let’s take care of you first and foremost, okay? I know you like helping your friends, but you should never feel overwhelmed like this when helping people. Some of these tasks can wait until tomorrow. And even if you still have a lot to do today, I’ll help you.”

You were shaking your head again, but the cold in your stomach was slowly being replaced by the warmth of your affection for Sehun. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” you asked.

“You’re you,” he replied, perfectly matter-of-fact. “Now let’s start from the top of the list.”


End file.
